Murder suspect changes her lawyer and her story
She has a new lawyer and a new story. Debra Ridgely, the 56-year-old Pennsylvania woman accused in the grisly slaying of Toni Grossi Abrams in Panama, now says the 58-year-old Staten Island socialite attacked her with a knife. Her earlier tale - that she and Ms. Grossi Abrams interrupted a burglary in progress - wasn't gaining sufficient traction, so Ms. Ridgely fired her lawyer. Whatever really happened, the end result was Ms. Grossi Abrams being butchered, her body stuffed into bags and a suitcase and then dumped in a weedy soccer field and set ablaze. Panamanian authorities tell the Advance they don't believe either of Ms. Ridgely's yarns.-Story by Peter N. Spencer

V-N workers pluck despondent man from brink
When the three construction workers on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (Map) spotted the car parked at mid-span in a closed Brooklyn-bound lane, they suspected the worst. The men raced across the busy traffic lanes where a distraught man was gazing at the water, 200 feet below, as he prepared to leap. A wrestling match ensues.-Story by Maura Yates

Hot sauce for kids, hot water for dad
When his sons, ages 8 and 11, skipped school and then got caught shoplifting, Ganganue Gonseh of Clifton did what many a parent might do. He punished the errant lads. His methods - common, he says, in his native Liberia, but considered bizarre here - have him in trouble with the law. Gonseh ordered the boys to strip naked, then thoroughly slathered their bodies with hot yellow pepper sauce.-Story by Peter N. Spencer

Island teen is mourned
As Nicholas Caputo is laid to rest, mourners remember the 17-year-old Tottenville High School junior's zest for life. The Great Kills youngster was found dead on a friend's couch Apil 15. The cause of death has not been determined.-Story by Glenn Nyback

Cancer death risk higher for Staten Island blacks
Black Staten Islanders develop cancer less frequently than whites do, but they're more likely to die from it, according to a report by the American Cancer Society. Cancer takes more black lives, the report suggests, because blacks have fewer resources to fight the disease.-Story by Lisa Schneider

Out on bail, vandal strikes again
When a graffiti vandal's tag becomes rare, it's embarrassing. His destructive comrades begin to make snide remarks. So when Russell Farriola, 20, got out on bail after being charged with four dozen incidents, cops say the West Brighton man quickly set about shoring up his fading reputation. When Farriola showed up for a court appearance, police arrested him again. "Throw the book at the little brat," says City Councilman Michael McMahon. "This guy obviously doesn't get the message."-Story by John Annese
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PRISON FOR TEEN BANDIT: A 17-year-old Staten Island girl will spend the remainder of her teen years in prison for the gunpoint robbery of a couple as they sat in their car. Donyae Murray of Clifton reportedly did not actually wield the gun; that was done by a 19-year-old male accomplice.-Story by Jeff Harrell

Historic but battered building may have a rescuer

Hilton Flores/Staten Island AdvanceThis derelict building on the Farm Colony grounds near Sea View Hospital might be refurbished as a school.

Graffiti ridden and heavily damaged by vandals, the old Farm Colony building at Seaview Hospital sits, sequestered now behind trees and a chain link fence, on Brielle Avenue - its fate uncertain. But a Manhattan-based technical school may prove to be the historic building's salvation.-Story by Karen O'Shea

Finally!
Good things come to those who wait. We've earned a weekend like the one we're about to get. Go Under the Weather with Todd Hill.

It's official!
We can put Staten Island's special election season to rest at last. The final numbers are in for the special Assembly elections held on March 27. For more on this inside story, visit us at polit.bureau

Search the past
Looking for an Advance news item from the past? Search our archives for a modest fee.

The power of listening
The day after the Virginia Tech massacre, I asked everyone what we can do to prevent this from ever happening again in any classroom anywhere. Those who answered all said variations of the same thing. Beyond Beliefs, with Leslie Palma-Simoncek

Every Staten Island sports score, every day
Need to know who won? Just visit Island Scoreboard on SILive - the Advance's home on the Internet - for the latest Staten Island sports scores. We'll update the scoreboard as soon as the results of the game are reported.

Five O'Clock Lightning strikes again
This year Alex Rodriguez is confident and dangerous. Give him a bat and he's likely to end up owning the game. It happened again last night when, with two out in the ninth and two on base, A-Rod put one over the wall, making it Yankees 8, Cleveland 6.
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ACID TEST: Did the Red Sox make the right moves? We'll find out, starting tonight.
-Stories by Dan Graziano

'Babe-Rod' is on the loose
Unbelievable. A-Rod is simply playing out of his mind. And Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge must have lost his mind - and may lose his job - for pitching to the hottest hitter in baseball with the game on the line. An incredulous Dean Balsamini is on Yankees Watch.

Braves come to town, and roll out the big guns
Get ready, Met fans. A real litmus test is at hand. Our offense is on a roll for sure, utterly obliterating whatever stood in its path during a snappy three game road trip that saw us score a combined 28 runs on 46 hits. The team barreled their way into first place during the surge and, at 10-4, have the best record in baseball. But we must not relent this weekend, because the Braves are coming to Shea and they've arranged for their top three pitchers to toe the rubber. Eddie D'Anna says Ya Gotta Believe.

A bit of honesty surfaces, and the countdown begins
Put me solidly in the corner of our new media hero, Howard Eskin. Imagine a sports reporter putting a baseball manager's feet to the fire, as Eskin did the other day to Charlie Manuel of the Philadelphia Phillies. Imagine a sports reporter asking some of the same questions long-suffering fans have undoubtedly been asking around water coolers. Manuel's reaction was predictable. He cracked. Jim Waggoner focuses the Sports Spotlight